Empowerment – ERGO Network

North Macedonia: News from the “New solutions to old problems” project

Conference “Funding programs for Roma: community and civil expectations organizations versus donor expectations”

The conference “Funding programs for Roma: community and civil expectations organizations versus donor expectations” took place on 5 December 2022 in North Macedonia under the project “New solutions to old problems – exchange of new types of approaches in the field of Roma integration” financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.

The main goal of the event is the bottom up approach, how the priorities of the community are incorporated into the state programmers and foundations/donors, as well as the exchange of information between the interested parties or stakeholders.

In the first panel, the current programs by the institutions in the direction of promotion and inclusion of the Roma in the Republic of North Macedonia were discussed and presented.

The second panel, entitled “The Way Forward” included the folllowing topics:

The alignment of priorities and funding at local and national level to overcome antigypsyism,
Roma Employment at Local Level
Inserting Roma Priorities as Municipal Priorities
Including Roma Solutions in Mainstream Plans
mapping of municipal capacities
consultative access to institutions regarding financing
coordination between donors
sharing of activities and projects between non-governmental organizations
networking and sharing resources
comprehensive project for spending funds.

The conference brought together non-governmental organizations, representatives from municipalities and mayors, members of Parliament, representatives from the government, national and international donors.

Young Roma in the 21st century, opportunities and challenges

On Saturday 10 December 2022, the international human rights day, the two final events were held within the framework of the small projects “The other schools of politics” and “Invisible power”, supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and the Norwegian Fund for Grants for Regional cooperation as part of the strategic partnership within the framework of “New solutions to old problems”.

These two projects were taken as good practices by the partners in Turkey and the Czech Republic. The event was held in the premises of the office of the President of the country, which is currently being used by the National Youth Council of Macedonia.

The “Other School of Politics” aims to encourage young Roma and pro-Roma interested in social issues to become active citizens in the political and social field and to increase their participation in decision-making mechanisms. Accordingly, the training program includes various political areas, namely; active citizenship, social policy, functioning of local governments, policies towards Roma and development of Roma civil society in North Macedonia and Europe.

In addition, thematic issues such as discrimination and social inclusion, gender, art and activism. The programme, which emphasizes the development of participation and leadership skills, additionally includes practical modules such as political communication, alternative models of activism and public speaking.

In a panel discussion, the young mentors who were part of the project discussed issues related to what was the biggest challenge within the project that they were working on in their municipality where they come from, what were the challenges they faced during the work and whether there were enough opportunities for young people in the country and what are their contributions as young Roma and non-Roma in the 21st century, what are they proud of.

The general goal of the “Invisible Power” project is to support and educate Roma girls and women in order to gain enough self-confidence, and to raise awareness of “Invisible Power”, to set their priorities and to fight for their position in Roma society. families and Macedonian society. The photographs that were previously taken were exhibited in the premises of the NYCM, together with their stories, qualities and values that make up their invisible strength, made in the form of brochures.

The attendees had the opportunity to hear their stories, and the event itself was very emotional for the women, who said that this was very meaningful for them, because even though they did not achieve their dream, this was an opportunity for them at least for one day, even if in a picture to feel like what they dreamed of.

The event was organized within the project “New solutions to old problems – exchange of new types of approaches in the field of Roma integration” financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.

Romania: News from the “New solutions to old problems” project

Training on Local project implementation

Our partner from Romania, Nevo Parudimos Association started implementing locally the “Mutual saving cooperative” initiative – a good practice example adopted from Autonomia, Hungary. The aim of this initiative is to increase the financial education of disadvantaged communities in Resita city so that they can better manage their finances, become self-sustainable and cover their living costs.

On November 12 Nevo Parudimos organized a training under this project. Two financial experts presented to adults from disadvantaged communities in Reșița the principles on which the initiative works and the different ways to save money. The training brought together a total of 14 disadvantaged adults who will be grouped according to the community they belong to and start implementing the idea.

The objectives of the project are:

Develop the financial skills of the involved families
Consolidate the household budget of the involved families
Find solutions and tricks to lower the expenditures, increase the income
Set up community based ’bank’ – CAF method, self-financing group
Increase financial knowledge

As a first exercise to increase community spirit, the group from the disadvantaged neighborhood of Câlnic already had an initiative to cover a common need – the rehabilitation of the public fountain that serves the community with water for everyday use. In recent years the fountain has not been in optimal conditions of use, but now the beneficiaries created a fund where they contributed with money and sanitized the fountain.

“Bottom up funding for Roma – Models of intervention in the process of inclusion and empowerment of Roma” meeting in Romania

Nevo Parudimos Association, in partnership with the Sastipen Organization, organized on 24 November 2022 in Bucharest, the meeting “Bottom up funding for Roma – Models of intervention in the process of inclusion and empowerment of Roma”.

The purpose of the meeting was to increase the level of awareness of different interested factors regarding the importance of developing sustainable partnerships with Roma and pro-Roma NGOs in order to create programmatic documents and implement programs in the field of Roma inclusion based on the real needs of the local communities and on compliance with the 10 common basic principles regarding the inclusion of Roma.

Project Market “New solutions to old problems”

Project Market – “New solutions to old problems – exchange of new type of approaches in the field of Roma integration”

On 21-22 April 2021 the partners in the project “New solutions to old problems – exchange of new type of approaches in the field of Roma integration” gathered online for the “Project Market”, where they shared their best practices of Roma inclusion and empowerment projects and “bid” on each other’s projects to implement similar initiatives in their own communities.

The event showed the great wealth of experience of Roma civil society and the impact that bottom-up approaches to Roma inclusion, empowerment and fighting antigypsyism can have.

For the event, all partners had to identify up to 3 local good practices from their own or their partners’ work on Roma inclusion and empowerment. These good practices were presented in the ‘Project Market’ to other consortium partners so everyone could select someone else’s good practice that fits to their own community needs.

Projects that were ”won” at the ”auction” will need to be adapted to different contexts, planned in detail with the community and will then be kicked off. The ‘project owner’ who proposed this project will act as a coach during the entire period. The good practices will include for example supporting companies to recruit Roma employees, a mothers’ center, a volunteering program with elderly homes and a motivational re-training project for unemployed Roma. All partners are rooted in local Roma communities so they can easily reach out to and involve their target group.

The meetings also gathered guests from numerous International Organisations, embassies and and partner civil society organisations, among them the EEA and Norway Grants, EU Justice and Consumers, the Embassy of Norway, Tom Lantos Institute, ERSTE Foundation, Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma, Hildegard Lagrenne Stiftung.

“New solutions to old problems – exchange of new type of approaches in the field of Roma integration” is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation.

Youth Statement on the occasion of April 8 – International Roma Day 2021

Youth Statement on the occasion of April 8 – International Roma Day 2021

As young people and representatives of Roma youth organisations networks we have met to share our experiences and together celebrate International Roma Day and the 50th anniversary of the first World Romani Congress. While the roots of Romani activism go back to the 19th century, 8 April 1971 constitutes a turning point for Roma communities around the world, when activists moved their struggle to the international arena. We take pride on the achievements of our elders, pioneers and predecessors of the Roma movement.

We acknowledge the efforts of the Council of Europe and its Youth Department towards Roma youth emancipation and empowerment, active youth participation and in combating antigypsyism. We especially welcome the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the inclusion of the history of Roma and Travellers in school curricula and teaching materials and the preparation of a future recommendation on Roma youth participation. Roma arts and culture play a central role in restoring Roma dignity and challenging the predominantly negative image of Roma people among the majority. Roma arts and culture remain greatly under-represented in majority spaces and cultural narratives, both internationally and nationally. This supports dominant discourses and imagery that are negative and stereotypical. More Roma narratives and representations in public spaces are necessary to challenge antigypsyism. By including Roma arts, culture and history in future Roma-focused policies and measures, the Council of Europe member states will send a message that European and national cultural narratives should highlight Roma belonging, contributions and achievements. We take pride on our history, arts and culture; their diversity enriches our communities and our societies.

We want Roma youth to have access to their own culture and have tools to enjoy and promote their cultural identity, history and dignity. We want to fight stigma associated with Roma and to prevent antigypsyism with alternative discourses rooted in self-representation and in Roma leadership.

We express our concern about the continued neglect of several important aspects by policy makers when it comes to Roma youth inclusion. We express our deep concern about the rise of antigypsyism, anti-Roma rhetoric and violent attacks against Roma in Europe, which are supported by some political movements, populist politicians and irresponsible media. Antigypsyism remains a greater challenge in today’s Europe and for young Roma people in our countries. The most frequent concerns for Roma youth are related to racism and discrimination together with access to education, training and schooling. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Roma settlements have been cordoned off, water supplies have been partially cut off, and people have been barred from food and medical supplies. Violent attacks by the police and gendarmerie have occurred several times on Roma communities in the past months.

There is still a lack of knowledge among the majority of society about Roma history, culture, antigypsyism and the Roma Genocide that took place during World War II. Until today the Roma Holocaust still does not form part of the canon of European history and remains largely unknown. In 2015, the European Parliament passed a Resolution declaring 2 August as “European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day” in memory of the at least 500,000 Roma exterminated during the Second World War by the Nazi and other regimes and their allies. Despite this, many governments have not yet officially recognised the historical facts and a common historical responsibility. The Council of Europe should ensure that the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the inclusion of the history of Roma and Travellers in school curricula and teaching materials is implemented.

Social and economic exclusion has just been deepened by the Covid-19 pandemic, as many Roma students found themselves unable to access online education, due to absent infrastructure and equipment (the digital divide), while in the long run it still represents the biggest challenge for Roma youth participation and results in political and cultural exclusion as well. Roma youth are part of the largest and youngest ethnic minority in Europe and strive for economic empowerment and participation. We insist that all necessary measures are taken and funded in order to encourage their economic and educational efforts and enable them to access national labour markets. We want to see Roma youth entrepreneurship highlighted and promoted as an important aspect that could not only contribute to economic empowerment but also strengthen the path of social inclusion and active citizenship of young Roma. We call on the Council of Europe member States to seek active dialogue with Roma youth organisations and to ensure lasting mechanisms of empowerment and participation of young Roma. We call on national governments to allocate national and European funding to invest in Roma youth organisations as engines of change.

Many Roma young people experience multiple discrimination that hinders their human rights; this concerns, among others, LGBTQIA+ Roma, Roma girls, Roma migrants and Roma with disabilities. Acknowledging the great vulnerability of these groups, targeting them with special and complex measures and providing mechanisms to empower them and fight inequalities within and outside of Roma communities is an important challenge, which deserves to be addressed in all EU and national mainstream policies. Approaches that take into account intersectional identities are necessary.

We call on the Council of Europe:
• to improve the good practice of Roma youth involvement and expertise in processes of policy making.
• to improve the coordination of policies concerning Roma youth among European institutions and stakeholders and to improve the communication between these institutions.
• to invest in strengthening the capacity and structures of Roma youth organisations.
• to enable the monitoring of policies being implemented by setting up a permanent working group consisting of Roma youth.
• to call on member states to make Roma Youth a priority within National Roma Strategies. Roma youth organisations must be involved in the National Roma Platforms and in important consultation mechanisms concerning Roma and youth issues.
• to emphasise the importance of double mainstreaming – including Roma issues in youth policies and youth issues in Roma policies and to encourage the European Youth Forum and National Youth Councils to ensure the meaningful participation of Roma youth individuals and organisations in their mainstream structures.

We demand a return to the values that have enriched Europe. These values such as solidarity, respect for diversity and human rights need to be continuously and consistently respected. European society can only be powerful if it has a strong Roma youth. Therefore, all relevant policy measures must be framed by, with and for Roma Youth in respectful and equal cooperation with non-Roma youth and the majority societies as a whole

This statement is also available in French and Romanes, and you can find them here

50th International Roma Day

Today, on 8 April, we celebrate the 50^th International Roma Day!

While the roots of Romani activism go back to the 19^th century, the 8^th April 1971 constitutes a turning point for Roma communities around the world, when activists moved their struggle to the international arena with the first World Romani Congress held near London. The day means for us a celebration of our culture, language and the endurance to keep our identity alive. The First Congress promoted the Roma symbols used as tools for unification and political mobilization, such as the umbrella term ‘Roma’, the Romani flag, the slogan Opre Roma! (Roma Arise!) our anthem (Djelem djelem) and national day (8 April).

The Congress was a catalyst of a new generation of Roma activists who worked together to fight against antigypsyism that we experience day in, day out.

From slavery to sponsored policies of extermination and eradication of our traditional culture, to forced settlement and resettlement, ethnic cleansing, assimilation, and sterilization of Romani women, all these persecutions led to the current situation of Roma across the world, where we continue to be perceived in a dehumanising way, less worthy and easy victims of hate speech, of racist violence and police abuse and day-to-day discrimination in all areas of our lives.

Today, when 80% of Roma and related groups live at the risk of poverty and hate speech and victimization of Roma have only increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, we must carry the fight of our ancestors forward and stand firm against antigypsyism.

To eradicate antigypsyism, our network of civil society organisations, our friends and the entire Roma movement must all work together to empower Roma communities to stand up for their rights, to raise awareness of our situation among non-Roma, to demand that the justice system identifies and persecutes crimes against us and to advocate for structural changes.

While we can be proud of our culture, history, personal achievements and political successes, such as the increased recognition of antigypsyism among institutions and some national governments and a stronger EU Roma Strategic Framework that puts the fight against antigypsyism at its core, there is still a very long way to go in order to achieve racial equality for Roma, Sinti, Travellers and other related groups.

On this important day, we are asking the European Institutions to

Further develop guidelines to recognise and address specific forms of racism, including
Create synergies between EU and national policy and legislative developments on specific forms of racism.
Speak out forcefully against any attempts to ethnically profile and scapegoat Roma and other minorities during the pandemic and ensure that states’ responses to Covid-19 do not make certain populations more vulnerable to racist violence and discrimination.
Ensure that the implementation of the Action Plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights will be used so that Europe’s Roma are not left behind and that the Covid-19 EU recovery packages will reach Roma and other vulnerable groups.
Further invest in mapping and data collection regarding the access to rights and services and the capacity building of Roma civil society to take an active part in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national policies and programmes relevant to Roma.

We are asking national governments, under the new upcoming Roma strategic frameworks and policy actions to…

Shift narratives and measures on Roma in a positive and empowering way, reflective of democratic societies, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Prioritise the recognition of and fight against antigypsyism and discrimination, segregation in education and housing and anti‑Roma prejudices and stereotypes.
Promote awareness of Roma history, culture, recognition and reconciliation and prioritize self-representation of Roma.
Ensure EU and national funds are used towards inclusive mainstream policy reform, targeted action and communication for Roma equality, inclusion and participation.
Ensure full and effective participation of Roma and (pro-) Roma civil society at all levels and all stages of the NSF design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Ensure an appropriate response and funding to the particular risks experienced by Roma and related communities due to the Covid-19 pandemic and mainstreaming and inclusion of Roma communities in the social and economic policies and programmes deployed to address the impact of the pandemic.

And we are asking from our non-Roma friends, neighbours, colleagues and others to:

Question your own biases and stereotypes against Roma.
Call out antigypsyism when you see it happening.
Educate yourselves and learn about Roma history.
Do not use racist slurs against us.
Do not speak on our behalf, but give us spaces to speak up and amplify our voices.
Celebrate with us our Roma culture, history and role models – on 8^th April, and throughout the rest of the year.